Saipan, and
Iwo Jima. V Amphibious Corps was commanded by
General Holland 'Howlin Mad' Smith followed by
General Harry Schmidt.
History
![Cover of V Phib Corps Marianas Report on Phase III (Tinian)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Cover_of_V_Phib_Corps_Marianas_Report_on_Phase_III_%28Tinian%29.png)
The V Amphibious Corps (formerly Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet; ACPF) was formed on 25 August 1943 at Camp Elliot, California. In September 1943, it moved to
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
, Hawaii.
Structure
The structure of a United States Marine Corps' amphibious corps by 1945, was broken down into four major subordinate commands with each of them having numerous sub-elements:
* The first major element of the Corps was three reinforced Marine infantry divisions.
* The second was the Corps artillery, which was composed of a field artillery group made of three battalions of 155mm howitzers, three battalions of 155mm guns, and an Antiaircraft Artillery Group made of three antiaircraft artillery battalions.
* The third was the Amphibian Tractor Group, which was made up of four amphibian tractor battalions and an armored amphibian tractor battalion.
* The fourth was the Corps Troops, which was composed of a headquarters and service battalion, administrative command, signal battalion, medical battalion, motor transport battalion,
engineer battalion,
reconnaissance battalion
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmishers, ...
, and
military police battalion.
Subordinate units
The US Marine Corps, US Army, and Naval Construction Force commands that served under the V Amphibious Corps in World War II include:
[Rottman ''USMC WWII OOB'', p. 111.]
![6th Naval Construction Brigade insignia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/6th_Naval_Construction_Brigade_insignia.jpg)
;Marine Corps
*
2nd Marine Division
*
3rd Marine Division
The 3rd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry divisions in the Marine Corps and together with th ...
*
4th Marine Division
The 4th Marine Division is a reserve division in the United States Marine Corps. It was raised in 1943 for service during World War II, and subsequently fought in the Pacific against the Japanese. Deactivated after the war, the division was re-fo ...
*
5th Marine Division
*
22nd Marine Regiment
*
Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion ''
ormerly "Company"'
;Army
*
XXIV Corps Artillery
*
7th Infantry Division
*
27th Infantry Division
*
32nd Infantry Division
;Navy
*6th Naval Construction Brigade (Tinian and Saipan)
*9th Naval Construction Brigade (Iwo Jima)
Command and Staff
Corps Commanders
*
General Holland M. Smith: 25 August 1943 – 11 July 1944
*
General Harry Schmidt: 12 July 1944 – 15 February 1946 (Deactivation)
Chiefs of Staff
* Brigadier General
Graves B. Erskine: August 1943 - August 1944
* Brigadier General
William W. Rogers: August 1944 - December 1945
* Brigadier General
Dudley S. Brown: December 1945 - February 1946
Corps Artillery
*Brigadier general
Thomas E. Bourke
Thomas Eugene Bourke (May 5, 1896 – January 9, 1978) was a United States Marine Corps general who, during World War II, commanded Marine artillery units at the Battle of Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Leyte. At the end of World War II, he comman ...
*Colonel
John S. Letcher (July 1944 - June 1945)
Personnel Officers
*Lieutenant Colonel
Albert F. Metze
*Colonel
David A. Stafford (October 1944 - February 1946)
Intelligence Officers
*Lieutenant Colonel
St. Julien R. Marshall: August 1943 - October 1944
*Colonel
Thomas R. Yancey (USA)
Operations Officers
*Colonel
John C. McQueen (August 1943 - August 1944)
*Colonel
Edward A. Craig
Edward Arthur Craig (November 22, 1896 – December 11, 1994) was a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps, and a decorated combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War who eventually attained the rank of lieutenant general ...
(August 1944 - April 1945)
*Colonel
Walter W. Wensinger (April 1945 - February 1946)
Logistics Officers
*Colonel
Raymond E. Knapp (August 1943 - April 1944)
*Colonel William F. Brown
Unit awards
A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the appropriate ribbon of the awarded unit citation. V Amphibious Corps has been awarded the following:
See also
*
Marine Air-Ground Task Force
*
History of the United States Marine Corps
The history of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) begins with the founding of the Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, provide shipboard security and discipline enforcement, and assist in landing forces ...
*
Organization of the United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is organized within the Department of the Navy, which is led by the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). The most senior Marine commissioned officer is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, responsible for organizing, recr ...
References
Sources
:
*
*
Further reading
*
*
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Military units and formations established in 1943
Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps
Corps of the United States Marine Corps
Military units and formations of the United States Marine Corps in World War II